Heavy Duty Trucking Logo
MenuMENU
SearchSEARCH

Economic Watch: Trucking Adds to Overall Employment, Factory Activity Mixed

The U.S. economy continued adding jobs in November as trucking employment turned around from the month before, while a separate report on manufacturing was only somewhat positive for the industry.

Evan Lockridge
Evan LockridgeFormer Business Contributing Editor
December 4, 2015
Economic Watch: Trucking Adds to Overall Employment, Factory Activity Mixed

 

3 min to read


The U.S. economy continued adding jobs in November as trucking employment turned around from the month before, while a separate report on manufacturing was only somewhat positive for the industry.

Ad Loading...

A Labor Department report issued Friday shows 211,000 non-farm jobs were added last month following an upwardly revised 298,000 job gain in October. This kept the unemployment rate at 5%, the lowest since April 2008.

Ad Loading...

Job gains occurred in construction, the biggest improvement since January, along with those in professional/technical services and health care while mining and information lost jobs.

In for-hire trucking, 2,300 jobs were added in November, a big improvement from October’s showing that was revised to 900 jobs lost rather than the originally reported 400 job gain. The wider transportation and warehousing sector saw job additions rise by 6,400.

“A strong employment report this morning, at least against the new, lowered bar of judgment whereby anything over 200,000 is considered solid,” said Lindsey Piegza, chief economist at Stifel Fixed Income.

She said when this report is coupled with one from earlier in the week showing a larger-than-expected decline in the service sector activity and a multi-month low in service hiring, a sizable red flag mars the positive feeling of the November employment headline rise.

“Service sector activity tends to lag behind manufacturing activity, which has fallen off to the lowest level since 2009 as of November suggesting further weakness may be coming down the pipeline as we head into the new year,” Piegza said. “Accounting for more than a third of the economy, additional momentum will be needed in the service sector to maintain the current stagnant 2% growth pace, let alone result in the type of momentum Federal Reserve Chair Yellen and company are anticipating in 2016.”

Ad Loading...

In mid-December the Federal Reserve is set to meet to discuss interest rates and there is increasing speculation it will move them higher from near-zero for the first time in many years.

This report follows one the day before from the U.S. Commerce Department showing factory orders increased in October, but shipments posted the sixth drop out of the past seven months.

New orders for manufactured goods in October increased 1.5% following two straight monthly declines. Excluding transportation, factory orders rose 0.2%, a four-month high.

New orders for manufactured durable goods moved 2.9% higher, following two consecutive monthly decreases, down from the previously published 3.0% increase.

Capital goods orders excluding aircraft and defense, a proxy for business spending in the gross domestic product calculation, was unchanged at 1.3% in the final October report and up 0.4% year-over-year.

Ad Loading...

Shipments of factory orders in October fell 0.5% while shipments of manufactured durable goods, down two of the last three months, decreased 1%, unchanged from an earlier report.

Some analysts are cautioning that despite this improvement in factory orders, manufacturing remains hurt by the strong U.S. dollar and declines in the energy market and that the Fed needs to hold off on raising interest rates.

In contrast, others say the economy can withstand a hike with even some Fed officials publically saying without a hike they will be less able to do something to stimulate the economy if it heads south later on.

More Fleet Management

ATA President Chris Spear.
Fleet Managementby Jack RobertsMarch 17, 2026

ATA’s Spear Warns Fuel Prices, Trade Policy, and Global Conflict Could Stall Trucking Recovery

Speaking at the TMC Annual Meeting in Nashville, ATA President Chris Spear said trucking faces mounting pressure from rising fuel prices, geopolitical instability, and uncertainty around trade policy.

Read More →
Illustration of author headshot with black-and-white old-fashioned rig in the background

New Entrants, Chameleon Carriers, and Safety: Is It Too Easy to Start a Trucking Company?

More than 100,000 new trucking companies enter the industry each year, but regulators manage to audit only a fraction of them. That churn creates opportunities for inexperienced startups — and for “chameleon carriers” that shut down after safety violations and reappear under new identities. Read more from Deborah Lockridge in this commentary.

Read More →
Panel discussion
Fleet Managementby Deborah LockridgeMarch 12, 2026

Fleet Managers Invited to Apply for Exclusive HDT Exchange Event

HDTX is an intimate event that connects heavy-duty trucking fleet managers with industry suppliers through small-group discussions, educational sessions, and structured one-on-one meetings.

Read More →
Ad Loading...
DAT iPhone Widget.
Fleet Managementby News/Media ReleaseMarch 12, 2026

DAT Launches iPhone Widget to Help Owner-Operators Find Loads Faster

New DAT One feature shows top-paying loads directly on an iPhone’s home screen, helping carriers react faster to spot-market opportunities.

Read More →
Optimal Dynamics Scale screen shot
Fleet Managementby News/Media ReleaseMarch 12, 2026

Optimal Dynamics Launches AI System to Help Carriers Choose Better Freight

Optimal Dynamics says its new Scale platform uses AI agents and optimization to help carriers find and secure freight that improves network balance and profitability.

Read More →
DAT March 2026 trucking conditions.
Fleet Managementby Jack RobertsMarch 12, 2026

DAT: Flatbed Demand Climbs as Van and Reefer Rates Soften

DAT Freight & Analytics data shows tightening flatbed capacity, easing produce markets, and softening van and reefer rates.

Read More →
Ad Loading...
YouTube thumbnail with Mike Roeth of NACFE saying "NACFE's Messy Middle: Which Fuel Wins?"
Fuel Smartsby Deborah LockridgeMarch 11, 2026

Run on Less “Messy Middle” Data Shows Multiple Paths Forward for Truck Powertrains [Watch]

NACFE's Run on Less - Messy Middle project demonstrates the power of data in helping to guide the future of alternative fuels and powertrains for heavy-duty trucks.

Read More →
Illustration of crowded New York street overlaid with dollar signs
Fleet Managementby Deborah LockridgeMarch 11, 2026

Federal Court Lets NYC Congestion Pricing Continue

A federal court ruling allows New York City’s congestion pricing program to continue, leaving truck tolls in place for fleets delivering into Manhattan.

Read More →
Fontaine Modification Access365
Fleet Managementby News/Media ReleaseMarch 10, 2026

Fontaine Modification Launches Real-Time Truck Modification Tracking Portal

Fontaine Modification has introduced a new customer portal designed to give fleets real-time visibility into the truck modification process, addressing one of the most common questions fleet managers face: “Where’s my truck?”

Read More →
Ad Loading...
FTR Tucking Conditions March 2026.
Fleet Managementby Jack RobertsMarch 10, 2026

FTR: Trucking Conditions Index Climbs to Highest Level Since 2022

Strong freight rates, rising volumes and tighter capacity push trucking conditions higher, though diesel prices could temper gains in the near term, FTR cautions.

Read More →